Final decision on Oakden Road reserved

THE Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has reserved its decision following a full hearing to determine the outcome of a proposed Drysdale residential development permit appeal.

Taking place from June 23 to 26, the hearing to consider a multi-lot subdivision planning permit application for 5-17 Oakden Road included representatives of the developers Culture Homes, the City of Greater Geelong, local residents and the Drysdale Clifton Springs and Curlewis Association.

A VCAT member presiding over a hearing can make a ruling at the conclusion of the case or reserve their decision to be provided to the parties at a later date.

A reserved decision will typically be given to the parties within six to eight weeks from the final day of the hearing or from when final submissions are due, depending on which occurs later.

This month’s hearing followed the City’s refusal of the application in February after consideration of the concerns of Drysdale residents over the proposed plan to subdivide the semi-rural 1.96ha property into a 34-lot estate.

A compulsory VCAT pre-committal conference was held on April 28, but failed to achieve an outcome.

Following the conference, local woman Catherine Coghlan said she believed the developer was “not prepared to make changes satisfactory to the residents”.

The Oakden Road development previously received 50 objections during the city’s community consultation period with concerns raised over the size of the 443 square metre blocks, traffic safety as well as the removal of native vegetation.

At the time of the permit refusal, planning committee chair Cr Kylie Gryzbek said the “subdivision does not meet the expectation of Drysdale residents and would not fit with our aim of protecting the character of our Bellarine towns”.